Thirty-nine Bangladeshi nationals, including one woman, were forcibly repatriated to Bangladesh early Saturday aboard a US military C-17 transport plane, arriving at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 6:45 am.
The group, many visibly exhausted after a gruelling 60-hour journey, stepped onto Bangladeshi soil in silence – some overwhelmed, others too drained to speak. Their return marks one of the largest single deportation flights from the United States to Bangladesh in recent months.
Upon arrival, the returnees received immediate humanitarian support. BRAC’s Migration Programme, in coordination with the government’s Expatriate Welfare Desk, provided transportation, drinking water, snacks, and medical assistance to the weary group.
Several of the deportees alleged they were handcuffed for the entire duration of the flight, despite not having committed any criminal offenses in Bangladesh.
One man, who requested anonymity, said: "We are not criminals. We fled in search of safety and applied for asylum. But we were treated like dangerous prisoners – chained, humiliated, and flown back like cargo."
Others described overcrowded detention centres in the US, prolonged legal battles, and the emotional toll of having their asylum claims rejected after spending years, and in some cases, life savings, on the journey.
Shariful Hasan, Associate Director of BRAC’s Migration Programme and Youth Platform, shed light on the perilous paths these individuals took.
"Many of them sold their homes, took massive loans, and spent between Tk 30 to 40 lakh to reach the US illegally – often through dangerous routes via South America and Mexico," he said. "They applied for asylum upon arrival, but their claims were ultimately rejected by US immigration courts."
He added that the US government, after exhausting legal procedures, issued final deportation orders. The use of a military aircraft for civilian deportations underscores the increasing rigor of US immigration enforcement.
This deportation comes amid a broader US push to accelerate the removal of undocumented migrants, including from countries with historically lower deportation rates. Bangladesh, long seen as a challenging destination for forced returns due to logistical and diplomatic hurdles, has recently seen a rise in such flights.
Rights groups have raised concerns over the conditions of detention and transport, especially the use of restraints on asylum seekers who have not been convicted of crimes.